Music from My Mailbox

I figure the last day of the month is as good a time as any to dump out the mailbox. Start fresh next month and all that.

A lot of stuff from bands that are going to be at SXSW next month. I’ll be not attending again this year, so who plays or doesn’t play isn’t going to much affect me. Just send me good music if you want me to post it. Kthx.

I’m gonna jump right in with my pick of the litter. The Pack A.D., from the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, are a duet – guitar and drums a la Jack and Meg – and take a similar, garage/blues approach to their music. Singer Becky Black has garnered more than a few comparisons to a certain legendary 60's whiskey-throated blues shouter. I really liked this band and look forward to hearing more of their music.

A couple of other things that are interesting: Patrick Bower’s “The Dark Lord (of Love)” has a weird, dark sound to it and made me want to hear it more than once. Moneybrother’s “Born Under a Bad Sign” is another of those tracks I almost passed on, but, after a couple of listens, decided to include. It’s a sort of poppy, dancey, type of thing. Maybe like something from the first Killers album or something. Just know that it’s not a cover of the Albert King classic.

The very last song on today’s list, “Sleepwalking,” I decided to include sight unseen. That is to say, I didn’t even care if the music was up to my usual rigorous standards. Everything Is Made In China, or EIMIC as their friends call them, come from Russia. When was the last time you heard a Russian pop band? Exactly. So they get a mention just for that.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Blunt Mechanic
Indie / Folk / Punk
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Less Beat.mp3

Becca
Rock / Pop / Acoustic
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Kickin’ & Screamin’.mp3

Nick Jaina
Folk / Pop / Indie
From: Portland, Ore.
Band MySpace
Sleep Child.mp3

Cast Spells
Acoustic / Country / Folk
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band MySpace
Pioneer Scalps.mp3

Patrick Bower
Indie / Folk / Pop
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
The Dark Lord (of Love).mp3

The Pack A.D.
Garage / Rock / Punk
From: Vancouver, Canada
Band MySpace
Crazy.mp3

Resonant Soul
Alternative / Rock / Indie
From: Toledo, Ohio
Band MySpace
House of the Rising Sun (Animals cover).mp3

Velvet Davenport
Psychedelic / Pop
From: Minneapolis, Minn.
Band MySpace
Get Out.mp3

The Dig
Rock / Indie / Pop
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
You’re Already Gone.mp3

Shellshag
Punk / Rock
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Resilient Bastard.mp3

Friday Mile
Indie / Rock / Pop
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
FYI.mp3

Moneybrother
Rock / Pop
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Band MySpace
Born Under a Bad Sign.mp3

EIMIC
Rock / Other
From: Moscow, Russian Federation
Band MySpace
Sleepwalking.mp3

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: Becca, The Pack A.D., Shellshag)

Labels: "alternative", covers, folk, garage rock, indie, pop muzik, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 12:02 PM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I suppose one advantage in taking so long to clear out my inbox is the large selection to pick from. I’m able to weed through all the “indie” stuff and skim the cream off the top.

A couple of items of note from this purge session: Kandi Coded keeps the Seattle grunge tradition alive on their debut Fell for the Gift, which is out next month. Check out their amped-up take on Johnny Cash’s tribute to a lost Viet Nam vet, which is just as meaningful now.

In case you weren’t aware, there is a Spinal Tap tribute album floating around (I think you can download it here for free or voluntary contributions or something.) Lapdance Academy Records founder and Dogs of Winter front man Brian Grosz contributed “Gimme Some Money” to the release.

And of course there’s the almost-obligatory Wolfmother remix track. There were actually three versions in the package I received – this was, in my opinion, the best of the lot.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Wolfmother
Rock / Psychedelic / Metal
From: Australia
Band MySpace
White Feather (Burns remix).mp3

Doug Keith
Rock / Acoustic / Alternative
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
The Lucky Ones.mp3

We Be The Echo
Progressive / Experimental / Metal
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Droid Poem.mp3

Phantogram
Concrete / Other / Big Beat
From: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Band MySpace
When I’m Small.mp3

Kandi Coded
Rock / Alternative / Grunge
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Drive On (Johnny Cash cover).mp3

Pierced Arrows
Rock / Garage / Punk
From: Portland / Clackamas, Ore.
Band MySpace
Paranoia.mp3

LANTERNS.
Punk / Punk / Pop Punk
From: San Diego, Calif.
Band MySpace
Midnight Psalms.mp3

Year Long Disaster
Rock / Rock / Rock
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Show Me Your Teeth (radio edit).mp3

Brian Grosz
Indie / Acoustic / Ghettotech
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Gimme Some Money (Spinal Tap cover).mp3

~~~~~
pictures, top-to-bottom: Doug Keith, Kandi Coded, Year Long Disaster

Labels: "alternative", acousticness, electronic, garage rock, grunge, indie, pop-punk, rock

posted by aikin @ 12:41 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I actually started this post yesterday, but I got sidetracked by the NFL’s opening weekend. I’m not a major fan of the Dolphins, but they are the local team, so I had to get out and show my support for what turned out to be a pretty sorry effort. By the time I got home, the only thing I was thinking about posting was my ass in my bed.

So, to pick up where I left off, this harvesting of the mailbox yielded some decent stuff. I was a little surprised to see emails from three pretty big bands that are plugging records through the blogosphere. I think this really attests to the power bloggers can have. Well, maybe not my little blog specifically, but all of us together.

The Flaming Lips, The Raveonettes, and Wolfmother all sent me music, urging me to help spread the word about recent or upcoming releases. Since government radio has become such a shit show, really, the Internet is the only place you’re going to hear about new music. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but when was the last time your local “alternative rock” station played the Raveonettes?

A couple of other things worth bringing to your attention: The kinda groovy, 60’s vibe of “Coffee in the Morning” by Drug Rug; and “1-2-3-Go!,” which is the kind of song that should have come out at the start of the summer, not in these dog days. But it’s fun and stupidly catchy anyway. And completely out of left field is jazz singer Rochelle House. Check out her version of the old Roberta Flack song “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” There are actually several good things here, so don’t be afraid to give them a listen or two.

As always, follow the links for more information.

Raveonettes
Other / Other / Other
From: New York City & Los Angeles, Baby!
United States
Band MySpace
Last Dance.mp3

Drug Rug
Soul
From: Boston, Mass
Band MySpace
Coffee in the Morning.mp3

Tim Williams
Indie / Alternative / Acoustic
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
I Hit Another Wall.mp3

Wolfmother
Rock
From: Australia
Band MySpace
New Moon Rising (Fontan version).mp3

Stricken City
Pop
From: London, U.K.
Band MySpace
Pull the House Down.mp3

Hopewell
Soul / Psychedelic / Religious
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Stranger.mp3

Ladyhawke
Pop / Classic Rock / Electro
From: Wellington / Sydney / London
Band MySpace
My Delirium.mp3

U.S. Royalty
Americana / Idol
From: Chinatown, Washington DC
Band MySpace
Every Summer.mp3

The Flaming Lips
Experimental / Psychedelic / Rock
From: Oklahoma City, Okla.
Band MySpace
Silver Trembling Hands.mp3

Hottub
Punk / Crunk / Funk
From: Oakland, Calif.
Band MySpace
1-2-3-GO!.mp3

Calypso
Punk / Grunge / Tropical
From: New York, N.Y.
Band MySpace
Casually Sad Mercedes.mp3

Rochelle House
Jazz / Neo-soul / Other
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band MySpace
Feel Like Makin’ Love (Roberta Flack cover).mp3

~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom: The Raveonettes, Wolfmother, Ladyhawke, Hottub)

Labels: "alternative", alt.jazz, covers, funk, indie, pop-punk, remix, rock

posted by aikin @ 9:12 PM 4 Comments

So this is who Visqueen are

The new Visqueen album, Message to Garcia, is out today. I’ll tell you the truth – until a few days ago I had no idea who the hell Visqueen were. But they were nice enough to send me a copy of the first single from their new album, so I thought I’d check it out.

“Hand Me Down” is a pop rock song, but it’s the good kind of pop rock: more rock than pop and with a chorus that reminds me a lot of Cheap Trick. The song also has big rock ‘n’ roll drums, which I dig a lot. And I gotta also say I'm digging this song a lot.

Message to Garcia is Visqueen’s third album, and their first since 2004’s Sunset on Dateland. The band took a lengthy hiatus so front woman Rachel Flotard could care for her father, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rachel’s father, who passed away in April, would ultimately prove a major influence on her writing for this album.

“He was our unrelenting hero for 35 years and never let us drop,” Rachel says about her dad. “These songs are my friends. I wrote them through a long ride of self-conscious anguish and joy. They are braided with sunny, ubiquitous problems and snare drums. They reflect the part of me that wants to be happy and make out with Bad Company.”

So, now that we all know who the hell Visqueen are, I’ll suggest you check out the first single from Message to Garcia, then get to your favorite e-tailer and get the whole album.

Hand Me Down.mp3

Labels: new stuff, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 8:26 PM 1 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

I’m getting this post out early this morning then heading out the door for my last week of work before a week of vacation. Well, more like time off, really – not like I’m taking a real vacation; I will unfortunately be staying in and around town.

This go-round with the mailbox yielded up a couple of artists I’ve written about before: Sir Salvatore and Leerone have both previously graced these pages and both have new music out that you should be aware of.

I’ve also gotten a handful of country contributions lately. That kind of strikes me as odd, because I really don’t post much in the way of that type of music. My taste in country, as documented here, runs to the old-school and hardcore, Hank III variety. In keeping true to my tastes, I’ll only ask you to listen to a country song if it’s something I would listen to myself. “The Prettiest Girl in Walmart” is just such a song. It’s not hardcore twang, but there’s a certain white trash charm to it that I liked.

Something I almost passed on was Steven Mark’s take on Supertramp’s “Logical Song.” But I wasn’t sure and the more I listened, the more I liked it. He’s more or less stripped down the original, which makes it even more of a cry for recognition in a world of facelessness: “Please tell me who I am.”

As always, follow the links for more information.

Livan
Pop Punk / Alternative / Rock
From: London and Southeast UK
Band MySpace
Happy Returns.mp3

Leerone
Indie / Folk Rock / Experimental
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Here on Earth: The Opening.mp3

Roy Jay
Rock / Americana / Folk Rock
Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Prettiest Girl in Walmart.mp3

Sir Salvatore
Experimental / Indie / Rock
San Francisco, Calif.
Band MySpace
Fireflies, Reading Books.mp3

Bad Veins
Indie
Cincinnati, Ohio
Band MySpace
Gold and Warm.mp3

The Divorcees
Country
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Band MySpace
Mining Man.mp3

JJ Soul Band
Jazz / Blues / Fusion
Oxford; Akureyri and Reykjavik, Iceland
Band MySpace
That Kinda Man.mp3

Amanda Blank
New Wave / Electronic
Philly, Penn.
Band MySpace
Make It Take It.mp3

Steven Mark
Indie / Alternative
New York, NY
Band MySpace
The Logical Song (Supertramp cover).mp3

~~~~~
One last note: I appreciate and love the artists and their reps that send me music, but if it’s something you want me to share with my readers, please send it in MP3 format. I've gotten a couple of things in WMA format, and while I enjoyed the songs, I’m not able to easily pass them along. Thanks!

~~~~~
(Pictures, top-to-bottom: Leerone, Bad Veins, Amanda Blank)

Labels: alt.jazz, country music, covers, electronic, indie, new stuff, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 7:15 AM 0 Comments

Green Day - Live at Maida Vale, 2004

You get a chance to see Green Day last night on SNL? Damnit, these guys are good. It's hard to believe this is the same band whose first major hit was about masturbation and smoking weed.

The new album, 21st Century Breakdown, is officially out now and should firmly establish Green Day as grown-ups. The disk has pretty much been universally heralded as an instant classic. The London Times called 21st Century Breakdown a “masterpiece,” and said, “musically, it may honour and channel the spirits of the Who, Bowie, Queen, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash, to breathtaking, to thrilling effect.”

As for my opinion, I can say I like the album and like it more each time I listen to it. Green Day without a doubt aimed high on this release and pretty much scored.

But the new disk isn’t really the reason we’re here today. Instead, as a sort of nod to 21st Century Breakdown and the upcoming Green Day tour, I’ve got a few live songs. These were recorded Oct. 6, 2004, at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios in London.

With the exception of the last track, “Minority,” which abruptly cuts off, the sound quality is excellent. When I got the files, the track names were screwed up and out of order, so I’ve corrected those and, hopefully, they’ll be correct for you. What’s listed below is the right order and the right song names. So, listen to these and buy 21st Century Breakdown and see the band live. Also – although not posted yet – I have the feeling that Chris over at The Culture Bully will soon up Green Day’s SNL appearance, so check back.

American Idiot.mp3
Jesus of Suburbia pts.1-3.mp3
Jesus of Suburbia pts. 4-5.mp3
St. Jimmy.mp3
Longview.mp3
She.mp3
Brain Stew / Jaded.mp3
Who Wrote Holden Caulfield / I Fought the Law.mp3
Minority (fade out).mp3

Labels: live music, pop-punk, punk

posted by aikin @ 12:27 PM 0 Comments

Some 'Hot Gossip' for ya

It’s been a long time since I found any new music through MySpace. Since Tom started with the whole MySpace Music thing, bands don’t or can’t post free downloads anymore.

So it was very fortuitous that Dutch rockers Queen Bee hit me up last week. I sent them back a note saying I enjoyed their music and asked if they cared to contribute to my little blog here. It was my good luck – and yours – that drummer Esther wrote back and said the band would be happy to share a couple of tracks.

I wish I could tell you a little more about Queen Bee. All I know for sure is that they hail from The Netherlands and there are five band members: the aforementioned Esther on drums; Fiona on vocals; Lisette on lead guitar; Claire on rhythm guitar; and Wendy on bass. Their music is a Runaways style of pop/punk, but with a rough, garage edge. They claim influences as diverse as Pretty Girls Make Graves and the Beatles.

Right now, Queen Bee is unsigned. I hope that wherever they get picked up, they’re allowed to maintain their edge and not get “glossed” up. I definitely see more L7 here than GoGos. See what you think.

Hot Gossip.mp3
Saturday Night.mp3

For more information, check out Queen Bee on MySpace.

Labels: garage rock, pop-punk, punk

posted by aikin @ 9:18 PM 1 Comments

They're My MySpace Friends

Looking around the Internet a couple of nights ago, I found a site called Triple J Unearthed, which I thought I should share.

Triple J Unearthed is an Australian music site whose function is to support that country’s bands and help them get exposure. According to the site, they’ve “unearthed” more than 100 artists from all over Australia and launched the careers of artists like Missy Higgins, Killing Heidi, Grinspoon, and Endorphin – all of whom I assume are popular down under. The site features all genres of music, from electronic to punk. And it also has free downloads!

I mention this because it was partially through Triple J Unearthed that I found a band called Punxie and the Poison Pens.

Punxie and The Poison Pens play the sort of guitar-driven music I’ve pretty much come to expect from Aussie rock bands. They’ve been described alternately as “catchy, entertaining, and socially relevant in the true punk tradition,” and “hilariously offensive.” I’d describe them as somewhere between the Distillers and the Divinyls. Punxie’s voice occasionally veers into sneering punkette territory, but a lot of the time it’s mixed down and not so easy to hear. The Poison Pens, led by guitarist Matt Poison, is a gang of Australian punk veterans: Matt, drummer Brad Cox, and bassist Budge all hail from locally popular underground Brisbane (Australia) bands of the Bjelke-Peterson era including Scruff the Cat, The Bystanders, and The Skeletones.

Punxie’s career began as an amateur stand-up on Brisbane’s open-mic comedy circuit in 2004-5 where she made a name for herself as “that girl that does all the arse-fucking jokes.” In late 2006 Punxie and Matt combined their talents and, on MySpace, released the single, “You're My MySpace Friend.” Their effort met with an admiring Internet audience, shooting Punxie into the Top 10 Comedians on the Australian MySpace. After successfully releasing more music via the Internet, Punxie and Matt recruited Brad and Budge to round out the band.

Punxie and the Poison Pens released their debut album, Banned, last year, and a follow-up EP, Gagged, came out this past June. Check out the Poison Pen Website for ordering info and for some free downloads.

Tonight’s music is a couple of tracks from Banned. The first is the aforementioned “MySpace” song; the second is a song that generated a little bit of controversy when it hit the MySpaces.

You’re My MySpace Friend.mp3
My Pussy is the Bomb.mp3

Labels: garage rock, pop-punk, punk

posted by aikin @ 10:05 PM 0 Comments

Music from My Mailbox

My inbox has been overflowing with music lately. One good thing is that I’m seeing a trend toward rock, punk, and pop-punk stuff rather than the “indie” music I had been seeing. No offense, but it’s all in personal preferences and I prefer rock.

That said, there is still a pretty good selection of things here and – whether your musical tastes always mesh with mine or not – I think you’ll find something here that you can listen to.

Like always, follow the links for more info.

o'death
gothic / country / punk
From: New York, NY
Band MySpace
Lowtide.mp3

The BPA
Acousmatic / Tape music / Psychobilly / Powerpop
From: United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Toe Jam.mp3 (with David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal)

Matt and Kim
Other
From: Brooklyn, NY
Band MySpace
Daylight.mp3

HADOUKEN!
Indie / Electronica / Pop
From: London, United Kingdom
Band MySpace
Get Smashed Gate Crash.mp3

The Dead Trees
Folk Rock / Grime / Americana
From: Portland, Oregon
Band MySpace
Shelter.mp3

Emilie Simon
Electronica / Pop / Experimental
From: France
Band MySpace
Space Oddity (David Bowie cover).mp3

Bankrupt
Punk / Rock / Psychobilly
From: Budapest, Hungary
Band MySpace
Sidewinder.mp3

Spider Problem
Rock / Rock / Rock
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band MySpace
Bullet.mp3

Labels: alt.country, indie, pop-punk, psychobilly, punk

posted by aikin @ 11:01 AM 2 Comments

"Got a Taste for OxyContin"

Today’s music comes from another band featured on Little Steven’s “Coolest Songs in the World.”

The Bleeding Hearts, from Raleigh, N.C., released Nothing on but the Radio in June of this year. This release finally brought the band the credibility they deserve. The first single, “Rehab Girl,” almost instantly got into heavy rotation on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, and brought them not just national, but world-wide attention.

“Would Green Day a roots-nephew?” wrote Hank, on a Dutch Web site. “Sam Madison has the largest bleeding heart. He writes the skull-with-a-laugh melodies and decorating them piece by piece with a murderous gitaarrif.” (Yeah, it’s a literal translation.)

Madison is The Bleeding Hearts founding member, putting the band together in 2003 with a trio of New York immigrants: guitarist Joe Yerry, bassist Jimbo Britt, and drummer Scott Taylor (Taylor left the band last year and was replaced by Dave Bartholomew).

“The Bleeding Hearts harnesses four decades of vinyl references into polished but hulking two-guitar paeans that meet somewhere between Mott the Hoople and Cheap Trick,” wrote Grayson Currin in Raleigh’s The Independent Weekly. “Despite its scantily clad cover, the band's second album, Nothin' On but the Radio, showcases a more mature, balanced approach from Sam Madison, its braggadocio-belted front man.”

Catch The Bleeding Hearts live Oct. 4 at Slim’s Downtown in Raleigh, N.C., and Oct. 10 at The Tap House in Norfolk, Va. Go to their MySpace space for more information.

Rehab Girl.mp3
Insanity.mp3
Cruel to be Kind (live-Nick Lowe cover).mp3

Labels: covers, garage rock, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 8:47 PM 1 Comments

Former Blink Drummer Injured in Plane Crash

Heard about this on the news this morning:

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and a popular disc jockey were critically injured in a Learjet crash in South Carolina that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane went off a runway and crashed on a nearby road, she said.

Hospital spokeswoman Beth Frits said Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, were in critical condition at a burn center in Augusta, Ga., about 75 miles southwest of Columbia.

NBC News reported that Barker, who also starred in MTV reality show "Meet the Barkers", had performed Friday night at an event alongside Perry Farrell, the former Jane's Addiction singer, as well as Gavin DeGraw and Goldstein.

Barker and Goldstein perform together under the name TRVSDJ-AM.

After Blink-182, Barker went on to form the rock band (+44) — pronounced "plus forty-four." He appeared in "Meet the Barkers" with former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, to whom he was married at the time. The show documented the former couple's lavish wedding and life.

Goldstein at one time was engaged to celebrity Nicole Richie.
(source - MSNBC)

What’s My Age Again.mp3 ~ Blink 182, from Enema of the State

Labels: current events, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 1:10 PM 0 Comments

Anyone care for a coupla 'grams?

Today’s music is nothing too new, even to me. It’s just a couple of songs from a band I’ve heard recently on Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

The Holograms, from Los Angeles, released Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends in 2005. The album, somewhat accurately described as the “sonically-satisfying results of Josie and the Pussycats getting carjacked by the Misfits,” caught the ear of Kim Fowley, a DJ on Sirius’ Underground Garage channel. Fowley played up the ‘grams on his radio show, and personally gave a copy of Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends to the main Underground Garager himself, Little Steven Van Zandt. Thanks in no small part to that strong support, “Are You Ready for It,” from their debut topped Billboard’s “Garage Rock” charts in early 2006 and was also the Underground Garage’s “Coolest Song in the World” for a period.

Bassist Samantha “Sammi” Franklin founded the Holograms in 2000. Sammi decided to start a band after interning at a record label. It was a “harebrained idea,” she told Hustler magazine in a December 2006 interview. “We could hardly play, but we just kept going. It was initially a very humbling beginning.”

The Holograms since have gone through a few line-up changes. Drummer Yumi Adachi, vocalist/keyboardist Jen Nguyen and guitarist Jean Hsu are the current members and have been with Sammi the last couple of years.

The Holograms are hard at work on their sophomore release, The New I Love You. They promise it will be “riddled with joyfully debauched gems” and be the same sort of infectious bubble-scum pop as their debut.

“Scene Whore” (“a foray into nonsensical nightclubbing habits”) comes from Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends. This is the song I’ve been hearing on the Underground Garage that sent me in search of more ‘grams. “Your Ex is Turning Tricks Again” comes from a 2004 Teenacide Records compilation Hey! It's a Teenacide Pajama Party. It’s a different version than you’ll find on 1000 Ex-Boyfriends; more crunchy and guitar-oriented, with the keyboards mixed way down.

Scene Whore.mp3
Your Ex is Turning Tricks Again (alternate version).mp3

Labels: pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 5:11 PM 1 Comments

“If we can’t afford to buy antiques, we’ll just copulate”

This is one of those beautiful posts that’s guaranteed to offend someone. I hope.

I got an email the other day telling me about the new album from a band called Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse. I’ve mentioned before that I am a sucker for an interesting band name so I knew right away I had to see what these New Yorkers are about. Here’s what I learned (bio mostly swiped from the JHC&TFHotA Web site):

“Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse are an eight-piece rock/pop/metal/psychedelic/cabaret band – sometimes all in the same song. Likened to B-52s meets X-Ray Spex meets Weezer meets Blood Sweat and Tears, the JHC ‘difference’ is horny, thinking-person's, emotionally-bare lyrics protectively cloaked in hard candy pop.

Poignant, laughable, awash in sound and fury, signifying almost nothing, but saying everything that no one usually dares to say, JHC&TFHotA are really just eager to be held and loved. At which point they'll become distant and forget to buy toilet paper.”

JHC&TFHotA’s new album, Happier Than You, will be out October 28. You can preview tracks and buy the album at CD Baby. To sort of whet your appetite, I have a couple of songs from their 2006 self-titled debut album, which The New Yorker called, “One of 10 CDs of 2006 worth a second listen.”

Connecticut’s for F*cking.mp3
Nipples.mp3

~~~~~

(NOTE: I found that if I use the Ethernet cable at this hotel, I can get around a little faster than with the wireless connection. So, I’m going to hold strong to my promise of trying to post this week. And I also promise to resume the Zeppelin series once I get back home.)

Labels: "alternative", indie, new wave, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 5:58 PM 4 Comments

Gettin' a little Lustie

I thought I should get a post up so you all know I’m still alive here. The hotel where I’m staying in north Florida has a really slow Internet connection, so it’s difficult to upload anything while I’m there. I’ll be there again next week, and again I’ll try to post, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to.

I found the Chicago’s The Lusties last week while – slowly – moving around the Internet. I really dug the punk-pop (as opposed to pop-punk, which frequently sucks, as it says on their MySpace) sound of the band, sort of like Cheap Trick meets the Distillers.

The Lusties are a five-piece onslaught fronted by Ms. Edie Lustie, formerly of Austin, Texas. The band also features guitarists Larz Lustie and GT Lustie, bassist St. Michael “Gunther” Lustie, and CJ Lustie on drums. Yes, they’re one big Lustie family.

“Between us, we've probably drunk a beer that belonged to you,” according to a very brief band bio, “done a line that was intended for you, and slept with all your moms, girlfriends, boyfriends, fathers, wives, husbands, and daughters. We're not sorry. You probably had it coming.”

Earlier this month, The Lusties released their second full-length album, Cocks & Monsters. Their dotcom is down, so The Lusties are right now selling the disk through eBay. You can go there direct, or you can go to their MySpace and link to it through there. Either way, get the album. You need it.

High School Love.mp3
Soldier Boy (Shirelles cover).mp3
Break Her (live).mp3

Labels: new stuff, pop-punk, punk

posted by aikin @ 5:17 PM 0 Comments

BangBangBang!

Got a little more new music from a young, pretty new band. If you like Be Your Own Pet, I think you’ll dig BangBangBang.

BangBangBang, not to be confused with the South Carolina band of the same name, come from England and play a pop-punk type rock that’s been drawing them crowds and acclaim in the UK. Their debut single “This Way / That Way,” released in June on New Slang Records, went to number two on the UK Indie Singles Chart.

“When I saw them live,” said Phil Jackson of BBC Radio, “they shattered the normally genteel air by combining the spirit of ‘76 punk with a 21st century sensibility. I was floored by their attitude and energy.”

There’s not a lot of biographical information about BangBangBang, but I can tell you they are a trio, made up of Natalie Chahal, Tom Aylott, and Sam Parkin. They name influences as diverse as The Stooges and PJ Harvey. Live, they’ve supported, among others, The Damned, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, and Crystal Castles. And, they say, “We like playing really loud and really fast! We like sunglasses.”

BangBangBang are currently out on the road somewhere in the UK. In whatever free time they have, they are also working on their first full-length album. Meanwhile, earlier this month, they made available free downloads of their latest music, which is where today’s post comes from. For more information, check out BangBangBang’s MySpace. And look for these guys to get some notice over here. Soon.

Don’t Let Me Out.mp3
Fashion Victim.mp3

Labels: new stuff, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 2:41 PM 0 Comments

BYOP: Reading 2006

I’m probably going to have to fire the Licorice Pizza events planner: Be Your Own Pet played Ft. Lauderdale last week and I only just found out about it yesterday. On the other hand, the show was Wednesday night and I’m not much for staying out late on school nights. But that makes at least twice now that BYOP has played locally and I’ve missed out.

The same day BYOP was playing in Ft. Lauderdale, Pitchfork posted an item saying XL Recordings plans to release an EP with the three so-called “offensive” tracks left off the US release of Get Awkward. Universal Records apparently didn’t care much for the lyrical content of the songs “Becky,” “Black Hole,” and “Blow Yr Mind,” and kept them off of BYOP's sophomore release. (The songs stayed on the international version.) The set is due digitally June 3, with the CD and limited edition deluxe gatefold double 7-inch hitting shelves June 24, Pitchfork reports.

In the meantime, Be Your Own Pet continues on the road, heading back up the eastern seaboard then through the Great White North before joining the Warped Tour July 9 in Atlanta. A couple of days later (July 12) BYOP will be back in Miami, affording me yet another opportunity to miss seeing them. Check out the BYOP MySpace for tour dates and other things you shouldn’t live without knowing.

Near the end of their summer tour, BYOP will make what I believe is their third appearance at the Reading Festival. The festival takes place August 22-24 in Reading and Leeds in England.

My point in mentioning that stop is to assist in making a smooth transition to today’s post: Be Your Own Pet live at the 2006 Reading Festival. BYOP shared the bill with, among others, The Raconteurs, on August 27, the closing day of that festival. I don’t know the source for this recording, but the sound quality is pretty decent and shows off a young punk band strutting their stuff in front of tens of thousands of people.

I’ve also tossed in “Becky,” one of the aforementioned deleted tracks. The song is crazy catchy, with a sort of punk/doo-wop vibe, if you can imagine that. I’m guessing the Universal people took offense to what sounds like a theme song for those kids who post videos of themselves on YouTube beating their classmates senseless.

Girls on TV.mp3
We Will Vacation.mp3
Bicycle Bicycle,You Are My Bicycle.mp3
Fuuuuuun.mp3
Let’s Get Sandy.mp3
Fire Department.mp3
Damn Damn Leash.mp3
Chicken Wings.mp3
Threshers Flail.mp3

Becky.mp3

Labels: live music, pop-punk, punk

posted by aikin @ 5:35 PM 0 Comments

Breakfast with the Mayor

I’m sure that for someone of my age, I spend way too much time on the MySpace. In my defense, though, I can say that I occasionally do things other than send messages and answer goofy surveys. I’m not going to lie – I do send messages and answer goofy surveys – but a good chunk of my MySpace time is spent bouncing from page to page and finding new music.

That brings us to tonight’s post. I was checking out some information on the Foxboro Hot Tubs and saw that one of their “friends” was a band called Breakfast with the Mayor. Like judging books by their covers, a band with an unusual name will grab my attention. And that’s just what Breakfast with the Mayor did.

BWTM is a relatively new “alternative / pop-punk” band from Los Angeles. Tanner Robison and Dennis Tseng got together in 2006 and began recording during their senior year in high school. After they recorded a few songs, they began playing live, eventually adding second guitarist Jeremy Uzzo and drummer Debbie Tray. Breakfast with the Mayor is currently featured on MTV U’s “Best Music on Campus” Web site.

For as young as they are, these guys are tight and have the sound down. If you're a fan of Blink 182 (BWTM even does an acoustic cover of "Feeling This") and similar sorts of bands, you'll doubtless dig them.

Breakfast with the Mayor are posting songs on their MySpace as they record them, but there’s no information about an album. Currently, they are unsigned.

Hotdog Fingers.mp3
Feeling This (Blink 182 cover).mp3

Labels: covers, new stuff, pop-punk

posted by aikin @ 9:29 PM 0 Comments